Dan Dorman on Film: 11/28/2004

Saturday, December 04, 2004

Top 30 Christmas Movies

1. It's a Wonderful Life (46)

2. A Christmas Story (83)

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV, 66)

4. A Charlie Brown Christmas (TV, 65)

5. White Christmas (54)

6. Scrooge (A Christmas Carol, 51)

7. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV, 64)

8. The Snowman (82)

9. The Nightmare Before Christmas (93)

10. Scrooged (88)

11. Home Alone (90)

12. Christmas Vacation (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 89)

13. Miracle on 34th Street (47)

14. Frosty the Snowman (TV, 69)

15. The Year Without a Santa Claus (TV, 74)

16. A Christmas Carol (TV, 84)

17. Scrooge (70)

18. Die Hard (88)

19. The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (TV, 71)

20. Trading Places (83)

21. The Ref (94)

22. Silent Night, Deadly Night (84)

23. The Muppet Christmas Carol (92)

24. Love Actually (03)

25. Lethal Weapon (87)

26. Gremlins (84)

27. Santa Claus: The Movie (85)

28. A Midnight Clear (92)

29. The Lion in Winter (68)

30. Bad Santa (03)

Special Mention:

Babes in Toyland (March of the Wooden Soldiers, 34)

It may not be a "traditional" Christmas movie, but this was the one we watched every year come late December in my house growing up. When I was finally old enough to recognize how great a film this was, it became clear to me that it (being one of my earliest film memories) has inspired my appreciation for the cinema in more ways than one. It's also a true "lost classic" and deserves to be re-discovered by a new generation. One of the great all-time film fantasies, it's also the blueprint for films like Shrek and it's sequel, and stands up to other more recognized film fantasies of it's era (namely The Wizard of Oz, 39). Check it out - it's actually quite hilarious - it is after all Laurel and Hardy, and it's probably their best feature length film. From imdb: "The filming turned into a symphony of cast injuries. Stan Laurel fell off a platform and tore ligaments in his right leg. Henry Brandon was injured in a bar fight at the Brass Rail. Assistant director Gordon Douglas slid 15 feet from the top of the Old Woman's Shoe and tore ligaments in his left leg. Kewpie Morgan's part as Old King Cole called for him to laugh continuously - after two days, he ruptured muscles in his stomach. Oliver Hardy entered St. Vincent's Hospital to have his tonsils removed the day after filming wrapped, and Hal Roach developed appendicitis. An extra named John Wood sued Stan Laurel and his stunt double, Ham Kinsey, claiming back injuries after Laurel and Kinsey threw him in the ducking pond on the set. The lawsuit specified $40,500 in damages, but was settled out-of-court." If that doesn't sum up how I usually feel about the Holidays - than I don't know what does...

Edward Scissorhands (90)

Again, not one of your typical "Chirstmas" films - this is nevertheless Tim Burton's 2nd greatest film (after Ed Wood 94, of course) and remains a holiday favorite for some people. I have never been a great follower of the film - and it is definitely something I do not put on for a laugh. It deals alot with pain - spiritual, emotional and physical. It's an extraordinarily complex film and one that I do not believe has ever been fully appreciated. Of course the Burton/Depp/Elfman fans out there will tell you it's "genius" or something like that - but I feel it can be rewarding if viewed in the proper frame of mind. It's easy to dismiss it as fairytale/fantasy stuff (which it is) but there is so much more that Burton has injected into the genetics of this modern "monster movie." In alot of ways - it's the Ed Wood movie that Ed Wood never made - or at least the one he might of thought he made in his own mind. It's smart, funny and rich in imagery - but above all - it's an homage to the master himself - Vincent Price (who has a small but unforgettable role in the film). Burton is an admitted Price-devotee, and he even directed a short film called Vincent (82) featuring the immortal horror movie star as the narrator. He made a little-seen documentary about Price, which to this day has never been released to the public. Scissorhands was to be Price's last film appearance (he died October 25, 1993 - just 6 days before Halloween) and it is more than fitting that he went out with such a bang. There is a reason that one of my cat's middle name is "Vincent," and there is even a better reason that this film has become such a beloved holiday film - the message may be different to whoever watches it, but it is one of those rare things: a film that doesn't force it's opinions on you and actually lets you make up your own mind about it.

The Old Man: "Sons of bitches! Bumpuses!"

Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Leading Men
The best male performances of 2004 (and sure-fire Oscar nominees):

Javier Bardem The Sea Inside

My personal pick for Best Actor. Simply watching the man act is like experiencing Brando, De Niro, Steiger, Clift and Steve McQueen all rolled up into one amazing Spaniard. Here he plays Ramon Sampedro, a man who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die. He gives a riveting performance (mostly from the neck up) and under-goes an incredible physical change for the role. Bardem was nominated once before (for playing another "real life" person, Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls, 00) and he was the first Spanish person ever nominted in the Best Actor category. The Sea Inside may just be his best film to date, and for that - they owe him the gold statue.

Jamie Foxx Ray

Who would have thought that this would be the break-out year for the tremendously gifted Foxx. I knew watching Any Given Sunday (99) that he was going to be big one day. Not only was playing Ray Charles probably his career-defining performance, but he may just see gold for his supporting turn in Michael Mann's Collateral. Either way, he is deserving, and he'll be around for a long, long time. My second choice for Best Actor.

Liam Neeson Kinsey

This has probably been the least talked about performance of the Oscar rush so far. It's incredible to think that Neeson has never won an Oscar. He deserved it for Schindler, but now (again playing a "real life" figure) it may be the pay-back hour for him. Not to mention that he is extraordinary in the role of controversial sex scientist Alfred Kinsey. He will get a nomination, that much is certain, but the rest is all in the cards. And when the hell is the Academy finally going to recognize Peter Sarsgaard? Not only was he spectacular in this film, but he also made lasting impressions in Dead Man Walking (95, his first film), Boys Don't Cry (99), The Center of the World (01), Empire (02), K-19: The Widowmaker (02, also with Neeson), Shattered Glass (03) and this years Garden State. He deserved the nomination for Supporting Actor for Shattered Glass (his is one of my all-time favorite performances) so they at least owe it to him to not over-look this one too.

Paul Giamatti Sideways

Nobody does 'pathetic' like Paul Giamatti. But is he Oscar-worthy? Hell yes. See anything he's done: Private Parts (97), Man on the Moon (99), American Splendor (03) and you'll start to get the picture. Hell, he was even Oscar worthy in Duets (00)! This is his break-out picture and only three words come to mind to describe his performance in it: tour-de-force. I would love to see him get the nomination for Best Actor this year. It would be criminal if he did not. Thomas Haden Church is also a front runner for Supporting Actor for his exceptional work in this film. Apparently, George Clooney begged director Alexander Payne for this part. It's a good thing that Payne decided to go with Church. Not only is he more convincing in the part, but he's also not as "recognizable" as Clooney. And there just wasn't any room for his neuvo "Rat Pack" buddies Matt Damon and Brad Pitt in the film. Giamatti and Church make a terrific team and it would be perfect if they each took home statues.

Johnny Depp Finding Neverland

Is Johnny Depp over-rated? Maybe a little. Did he deserve a nomination last year for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl? Probably not. Did he deserve a nomination for playing Ed Wood in Tim Burton's eponymous masterpiece and for becomming Hunter S. Thompson (Raoul Duke) in Terry Gilliam's twisted but brilliant Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (98)? Fuck yes. Depp is a brilliant actor. His mastery of the Scottish accent in Neverland (again playing a "real life" person: Peter Pan author Sir James Matthew Barrie) is beyond perfect. But is it Oscar-worthy? Okay, yeah - this time he deserves it. Also Oscar worthy from the film is Freddie Highmore. He even gives Haley Joel Osment a run for his money in the under 12 acting department.

Bill Murray The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

When Murray did not even get a nomination in 1998 for Wes Anderson's masterwork Rushmore, I felt like blowing up the Academy Awards Headquarters. But alas, I'm no good with explosives. And I value human life far too much. In any case, he was nominated last year for Lost In Translation, a film that I feel was praised a bit too much. Murray was good - but then again, when isn't he good? Watch Wild Things (98) for him alone, well and also for Neve Campbell and Denise Richards - but he steals every scene he's in. He's that kind of actor. Give him the nomination for Zissou, we owe him that much.

Gael Garcia Bernal The Motorcycle Diaries or Bad Education

Take your pick. He plays Che Guevara in Walter Salles' film The Motorcycle Diaries, and three roles in Pedro Almodovar's new masterpiece Bad Education. My heart tells me that the talented Bernal deserves a nomination for Almodovar's film, but since that film will more than likely beat Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers this year in the Best Foreign film category, they may just leave it at that. You never know though, Almodover already has one Oscar (All About My Mother, 99) and they slighted him for Talk to Her (02) - but they also slighted Yimou a couple of years ago for Hero - wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah - Gael Garcia Bernal! He's incredible, and it's about time the industry stood up and noticed him. See Fidel (02) in which he also played Guevara, as well as The Crime of Padre Amaro (02, for which he also should have been nominated - even though the film itself was nominated in the Foreign Film category) and Y tu mamá también (01). He's got the exposure, now let's show him the respect.

Kevin Bacon The Woodsman

Let's start with the film's Bacon has made better just by his sheer presence alone: Diner (82), She's Having a Baby (88), Criminal Law (88), Flatliners (90), JFK (91), A Few Good Men (92), Murder in the First (95, may be his best performance), Apollo 13 (95), Sleepers (96), Wild Things (98), Mystic River (03, under-stated and stalwart), In the Cut (03 - hands down the best thing about this piece of crap) and now The Woodsman. But (and there's always a but) he plays another pedophile (following his creepy but unforgettable supporting turn in the under-rated Sleepers). The point is this: The Woodsman may be his best starring role, and it's about time that Bacon got at least one fucking Oscar nomination in his career. He is one of the most giving actors there is (watch how he allows Laurence Fishburne to almost walk away with the entire film in Mystic River, and then see how he matched Penn point for point in their electrifying scenes togehter). I'm going to say that now's the time: bring home the Bacon. Sorry, that was unneccesary.

Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda

Yet another film about a "real life" person. Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsis refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. Nick Nolte is also in the film, and he rocks. But this is Cheadle's moment of glory. He may just be impressive enough to nab the nom, but then again - this film may just end up being too obscure. The important one's usually are. Still, in the ever popular political climate of films about humanity - this could prove to be this year's Schindler's List. Any way you slice it, Cheadle might just be too good for the nomination. He wouldn't be the first (Bill Murray in Rushmore, 98 and Christopher Plummer in The Insider, 99) and he probably wont be the last.

Jeff Bridges The Door in the Floor

Jeff Bridges has made a carrer out of not winning Oscars. Here are some of the films he either lost in the category or deserved nominations for: The Last Picture Show (71, nomination), Fat City (72), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (74, nomination), Cutter's Way (81), Starman (84, nomination), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (88), The Fabulous Baker Boys (89), The Fisher King (91), American Heart (92), Fearless (93), The Big Lebowski (98), The Contender (00, nomination), and Seabiscuit (03) to name but a few. His two best performances were American Heart and The Big Lebowski. Not nominated for either. In The Door in the Floor, Bridges plays a children's book author having marital problems (the least of which are his own infidelities). It's an honest (and often funny) probing look into the lives of real people. It's based on John Irving's best-selling novel, A Widow for One Year. Bridges should get alot of notice for this, but then he should have got alot of notice for American Heart and Lebowski as well. Catch my drift?

Billy Crudup Stage Beauty

From imdb: "Set in the 1660's at a time when in live theatre women's roles were played by men, Edward "Ned" Kynaston (Crudup) is England's most celebrated leading lady, using his beauty and skill to make the great female roles his own. But when Charles II is tired of seeing the same old performers, the ruler allows real women to tread the boards and men may no longer play women's parts. Ned becomes a virtual nobody, virtually overnight and seems headed for suicide till his ex-dresser turned actress Maria (Danes) takes it upon herself to make a man of him again." Sounds great. Now let's see if he picks up the nom. Don't forget to check him out in Without Limits (98), The Hi-Lo Country (98), Waking the Dead (00) and especially the criminally under-rated Jesus' Son (99).

Leonardo DiCaprio The Aviator

This film is just screaming "Oscar!" DiCaprio is a great actor. That's right, I said "great." Don't believe me? See: This Boy's Life (93), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (93, one of the greatest performances ever given by any actor in any movie - period), Marvin's Room (96) and Catch Me If You Can (02). Again, like Catch Me If You Can's Frank Abagnale Jr., he plays a real guy, this time it's arch-quack or misunderstood genius Howard Hughes. I'm sure that Scorsese will make up for the mess he made of Gangs of New York (02, also with DiCaprio) and the cast is so rich and so interesting that even if the movie flops, it's still guaranteed to be one hell of a ride. By the way - DiCaprio is a great actor. Did I forget to mention that?

Colin Farrell Alexander

After the mostly mixed to negative reviews of this film, he's almost guaranteed to not get a nomination. Too bad - he's another "movie star" who actually has the acting chops to one day become a legend. But for right now, he's stuck doing big-budget Hollywood dribble. The one thing I can say about Colin Farrell is, I can always watch him in a film, even if it's a big pile of dog crap. See: Tigerland (00, hands down his best film), Hart's War (02), Phone Booth (02) and the under-rated Intermission (03). Minority Report (02) is a great film but Farrell was mis-cast. He's about to start filming Michael Mann's Miami Vice (2006) with Jaime Foxx, so the world will finally be ready for the return of white linen suits and pastel under-shirts again. Thank God. And I for one am glad that Oliver Stone let him use his native Irish accent for Alexander. It freed him up enough to actually concentrate on the performance - and it looks like yet another Stone film that's just too smart for the average bear.

Jim Carrey Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Just when I was finally beginning to have some respect for Carrey as an actor, I learn that his next three projects are as follows: Fun with Dick and Jane, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Six Million Dollar Man - all of them slated for release next year and all of them re-makes of some sort. What the hell happened? It looks as if maybe he wants us to think that Eternal Sunshine was really the film that he deserved the most credit for - maybe that's the reason he's doing these more main-stream films back-to-back. The Carrey film I'm most waiting for however is Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (04). Perhaps his Count Olaf deserves the nomination over Eternal Sunshine's multi-faceted Joel Barish. I'll take either. He was profound and completely riveting as a "normal" guy in the latter. Yes, it's true - they fucked him over for The Truman Show (98) and Man on the Moon (99) - so let's all keep our fingers crossed that he finally gets his long-deserved nomination. By the way, I'm also praying that somebody gets me Kelly LeBrock circa 1985 for christmas this year. What, I can dream can't I?

Clint Eastwood Million Dollar Baby

I'm not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out commentary about why Clint Eastwood deserves to be nominated this year for Million Dollar Baby (as well as Morgan Freeman who will more than likely win for Supporting Actor, or at least should - see one of my multiple Eastwood tribute posts below for that) but I will say this: if Clint Eastwood does not get nominated this year as Actor for Million Dollar Baby - I'm going to pour gasoline all over my body and light myself on fire. Is that a little intense? Cause I can be intensely laid back too. Go Clint!

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Immortal Assassins

Hero (Ying xiong, 02) has finally been released on DVD in region 1. I watched a bootleg copy of this film with a pretty decent quality transfer about a year ago. It was refreshing to experience the film in it's full picture and sound glory on the new Miramax disc. While not having much in the way of special features - there were a couple of interesting featurettes (one with Quentin Tarantino interviewing Jet Li was a bit like watching a train wreck) the disc does feature a nice slip case (although this seems to have become the permanent trend for new releases in this country) in addition to that fabulous transfer and sound mix. The only draw-back was the opening and closing on-screen story text in the film, that Miramax somehow decided must be written in actual English, and not simply translated from the original Chinese. Fuckers. At least they didn't use "closed captioning" English subtitles like they did for the U.S. Spirited Away (01) disc they mangled. Okay, now that's out of my system. I must admit to having not liked the film as much the first time I saw it. I do not know if it was the lesser picture/sound quality (although at the time it seemed fine) or maybe my frame of mind at the time I viewed it. All I know is - I had heard about the film for about a year before I actually watched the bootleg. I had been waiting for it (perhaps too long). This film was nominated for an Academy Award a couple of years ago for Best Foreign Film - but lost to Caroline Link's Nowhere in Africa (from Germany). I have seen this film and can say that it was honestly a very moving experience - but it was not as good a film as Yimou's Hero. I think the Academy just got a case of "the Crouching Tiger blues" again, and did not want to honor the similar in language only Hero. There is nothing remotely similar about the two films, Ang Lee's masterpiece, Crouching Tiger and Yimou's masterpiece, Hero. With the exception of the theme of unrequited love and the fact that both films pay homage to the early Chinese martial arts film that began back in the silent era and reached fruition in the 1950s/1960s - both films are exceptionally unique in style and function (in their own ways). Zhang Yimou (promounced: "Zong or Yong E-moo") has produced an expert and beautifully sustained poem on film (if a bit cold) that manages to inspire and lift the spirit.

There is actually more visual splendor in Hero then there is in Crouching Tiger (if you can believe that). The action is intense and well-played, but the story and acting are the true triumphs of the production. Not to mention the breath-taking cinematography (courtesy of Christopher Doyle - In the Mood For Love, 00 - why has this man not won a stinking Oscar?) and the jaw-dropping landscapes of remote and rural China. Speaking of Oscars, composer Dun Tan won one for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I think that his score for Hero is also superior (the opening notes to the film - that are re-occuring throughout - are haunting and alien, like something from a Hitchcock or Lynch film). Thank God the film was shot on location. Thank God Tony Leung Chiu Wai (a Wong Kar Wai regular who won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival a few years ago for In the Mood For Love), Maggie Cheung (who won best actress at Cannes alongside Leung for the same magnificent film) and Daoming Chen were in the central roles. They are each phenominal actors and worth looking into their other films if you have any interest in Chinese cinema. Jet Li was perfect in the role of "Nameless" (how Leone of you Yimou) and his fight scene at the beginning with the incomparable Donnie Yen was one of the high-lights of the picture. Li actually took a pay cut to star in Hero - good choice, this is his best film to date. When is Maggie Cheung going to break-through in this country? Not only is she stunningly beautiful (and speaks perfect English), but she is capable of reaching incredible depths of emotion with her eyes alone. What a remarkable and talented actress.

Ziyi Zhang (Yimou's current muse) is also in the film in a small role - you may remember her from Crouching Tiger - but thankfully, her annoying cuteness was not central to the story. Her first film for Yimou was The Road Home (99) and it was filmed before Crouching Tiger but released internationally after it's premiere. It is a good film. Not one of Yimou's best. He is a master of dramatic story-telling and Hero was his first action film. How amazing is it that he turned out his best film by experimenting in a new genre. I have been following his work for many years now and own most of his films on DVD (some even in Asian import formats like his other masterpiece, Raise the Red Lantern, 91). It was a real shame that he ended his personal and professional relationship with actress Gong Li (Red Lantern, Red Sorghum 87, Ju Dou 90, The Story of Qui Ju 92, To Live 94 and Shanghai Triad 95). Their teamings produced some of the most influential and important Chinese films to ever grace the silver screen (of any decade). I especially like To Live and Ju Dou. Both films center on strong female characters, a quality that Yimou has never lost in his story-telling (even if the main character is a man). Hero is based on actual legend, and to give anything about the film away (if you have not seen it) would completely spoil it for you. It unfolds like a great book, something that improves each time you enter into it's world (and it's a terrific nod to Kurosawa's Rashomon).

Hero Director Zhang Yimou
Yimou's next film is another action/martial arts film, this time starring Zhang Ziyi (who now wishes to go by Ziyi Zhang, the English way of stating her name - first and then last name) as another strong female character. I find her to be a bit of the diva. Maybe when she grows up she'll acquire half of the grace and professionalism of Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh - if she's lucky. But for now, she is simply one of the most recognizable Asian imports (she's filming Memoirs of a Geisha, also with Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh, for Steven Spielberg right now - ironically none of them are Japanese!) and she will no doubt catapult Yimou's new film to wide exposure. Hero was actually more of a cult movie: Miramax originally acquired the U.S. distribution rights in 2002 after the film's huge success in Asia. The film never materialized. Unable to find an official U.S. version, the film has gained a cult following in the States via "official" copies of the DVD from other countries. The film deserves to be seen by a wide audience, and thankfully with the release of the region 1 DVD, this may be the second chance that it needs. See the film. It is incredibly well-made and involving throughout. Also, see anything that Australian Christopher Doyle has shot (especially his work with director Wong Kar Wai: Chungking Express 94, Ashes of Time 94, Happy Together 97, the exceptional In the Mood for Love 00, 2046 04, and his work with fellow Aussie Phillip Noyce: Rabbit-Proof Fence 02 and The Quiet American 02). He has recently filmed the new Merchant Ivory film, The White Countess (set in Hong Kong) and is about to begin work on Tom Tykwer's new film, Paris, je t'aime (both set for release in the near future). He is a true master of color and movement and his talents were perfectly balanced with Yimou's inspired direction on Hero. A one-of-a-kind teaming.

There are two scenes from this film (among many) that I will never forget. One, is when two of the main characters show their mutual sorrow in a sword fight over a lake of still water. It is quite possibly one of the most profound and exhilerating moments I have ever witnessed in a film. The other is when dozens of the King's court officials, wearing black-hooded robes, demand that he respond justly to an act by bellowing in tandem in two groups on either side of him like a greek chorus. This decision will define his character more than any other action he has ever done. It is the last difficult decision that is made in the film. It also defines the film.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Finally

You've probably read alot about actor Richard Widmark on this blog (check out my Widmark tribute post under archives) and now it looks like Criterion is finally releasing the long-awaited Jules Dassin masterpiece Night and the City (50). It's a shame their not including the wonderful re-make from 1992 starring Robert De Niro, but what the hell - I'm just glad the original is getting the royal treatment after all this time. What a film. Also, as if that wasn't enough, it looks like Criterion has finally picked up Gus Van Sant's cult masterwork, My Own Private Idaho (91). This is a big deal. Not only is it one of Van Sant's best films, but it is a truly haunting piece of cinema. One of River Phoenix's most astonishing performances. I may not count it among my favorite all-time films, but I have never forgotten it. What a pair of releases. It looks like 05 is shaping up to be a fine year indeed...

Top 100 Must-Have Region 1 DVDs for Christmas
The Best 0f 2004

1. Fanny and Alexander (Special Edition Five-Disc Set) - Criterion Collection

2. Zatoichi/Sonatine Double Feature - Buena Vista

3. John Cassavetes - Five Films (Shadows/Faces/A Woman Under the Influence/The Killing of a Chinese Bookie/Opening Night and the exhaustive documentary A Constant Forge) - Criterion Collection

4. The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set) - New Line

5. The Rules of the Game - Criterion Collection

6. Martin Scorsese Collection (After Hours/Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Goodfellas/Mean Streets/Who's That Knocking At My Door?) - Warner

7. The Leopard - Criterion Collection

8. La Dolce Vita (2-Disc Collector's Edition) - Koch Lorber

9. The Battle of Algiers - Criterion Collection

10. Film Noir Classic Collection (The Asphalt Jungle/Gun Crazy/Murder My Sweet/Out of the Past/The Set-Up) - Warner

11. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - The Complete Series - Universal

12. The Ultimate Matrix Collection Limited Edition Collector's Set (The Matrix/Reloaded/Revolutions/Revisited/The Animatrix) - Warner

13. Spider-Man 2 Gift Set (Widescreen Special Edition W/Comic Book/Postcards/Sketch Book/Photo Booklet) - Columbia Tr-Star

14. Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) - Twentieth Century Fox

15. Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete First, Second and Third Seasons (available only in 3 seperate collector's sets) - Paramount

16. The Ingmar Bergman Special Edition DVD Collection (Persona/Shame/Hour of the Wolf/ The Passion of Anna/The Serpent's Egg) - MGM

17. Scenes From a Marriage - Criterion Collection

18. Smiles Of A Summer Night - Criterion Collection

19. Pickup on South Street - Criterion Collection

20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Widescreen Edition) - Warner

21. City of God - Miramax

22. Stray Dog - Criterion Collection

23. The Lower Depths (Kurosawa 1957)/The Lower Depths (Renoir 1936) - Criterion Collection (1957)

24. Ikiru - Criterion Collection

25. Have Gun Will Travel - The Complete First Season - Paramount

26. A Woman is a Woman - Criterion Collection

27. Hero - Buena Vista

28. My Darling Clementine - Twentieth Century Fox

29. The Grapes of Wrath - Twentieth Century Fox

30. The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse - Criterion Collection

31. Tess (Special Edition) - Columbia Tri-Star

32. The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me but Your Teeth Are in My Neck - Warner

33. Chien Andalou - Facets

34. L'Age D'Or - Kino International

35. THX 1138 (The George Lucas Director's Cut Two-Disc Special Edition) - Warner

36. Gone with the Wind (Four-Disc Collector's Edition) - MGM

37. This Gun For Hire - Universal

38. Stage and Spectacle - Three Films by Jean Renoir (The Golden Coach/French Cancan/Elena and Her Men) - Criterion Collection

39. Ed Wood (Special Edition) - Buena Vista

40. Hellboy (Director's Cut Giftset) - Columbia Tri-Star

41. The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition) - Warner

42. Meet Me In St. Louis (Two-Disc Special Edition) - Warner

43. Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Collector's Edition) - Twentieth Century Fox

44. Schindler's List - Collector's Widescreen Gift Set - Universal

45. Open Range (2 disc) - Buena Vista

46. La Belle Noiseuse - New Yorker

47. Circle of Iron - Blue Underground

48. Angels in America - Warner

49. Mystic River (3 Disc Deluxe Edition) - Warner

50. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (Extended Version Collector's Set) - MGM

51. I Vitelloni - Criterion Collection

52. Slacker - Criterion Collection

53. Elvis - The '68 Comeback Special (Deluxe Edition) - BMG

54. The Great Escape (2-Disc Collector's Set) - MGM

55. Dawn of the Dead (Ultimate Edition - 4 discs) - Anchor Bay

56. Spartan - Warner

57. Man on the Train - Paramount

58. Videodrome - Criterion Collection

59. California Split - Columbia Tri-Star

60. Short Cuts - Criterion Collection

61. Wong Kar Wai Collection - Kino International

62. Criss Cross - Universal

63. Swoon - Strand

64. The Alan Clarke Collection (Scum/Made in Britain/The Firm/Elephant) - Blue Underground

65. Invisible Man - The Legacy Collection (The Invisible Man/Invisible Man Returns/Invisible Agent/Invisible Woman/Invisible Man's Revenge) - Universal

66. The Tree of Wooden Clogs - Koch Lorber

67. Zatoichi 26 - Media Blasters

68. The Rose Tattoo - Paramount

69. Come Back, Little Sheba - Paramount

70. Time Without Pity - Home Vision

71. Mr. Klein - Home Vision

72. Life and Nothing But - Kino International

73. The Devil's Backbone (Special Edition) - Columbia Tri-Star

74. The Dancer Upstairs - Twentieth Century Fox

75. The Secret Lives of Dentists - Columbia Tri-Star

76. American Splendor - HBO

77. Lost In Translation (Widescreen Edition) - Universal

78. Matchstick Men (Widescreen Edition) - Warner

79. Mary Poppins (40th Anniversary Edition) - Buena Vista

80. Collateral (Widescreen Two-Disc Edition) - Universal

81. King Arthur (Unrated Widescreen Director's Cut) - Buena Vista

82. Gunga Din - Warner

83. Shaun of the Dead - Universal

84. Wild At Heart (special edition) - MGM

85. M (re-issue) - Criterion Collection

86. How to Steal a Million - Twentieth Century Fox

87. Silver Streak - Twentieth Century Fox

88. Wimbledon - Universal

89. Paris Texas - Twentieth Century Fox

90. Infernal Affairs (Wu jian dao) - Miramax

91. Twilight Samurai - Empire

92. Code 46 - MGM

93. Charley Varrick - Universal

94. Breaker Morant (Masterworks Edition) - Wellspring

95. Iceman - Universal

96. Time of the Wolf - Universal

97. Superfly - Warner

98. King of New York (Special Edition) - Lions Gate

99. Mikey & Nicky - Home Vision

100. Baby, the Rain Must Fall - Columbia Tri-Star

also worth a look: The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection - Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition/North by Northwest/Dial M for Murder/Foreign Correspondent/Suspicion/The Wrong Man/Stage Fright/I Confess/Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Warner), Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume Two (Warner), Distant Thunder (Paramount), Smooth Talk (MGM), This So-Called Disaster (MGM), Larry Cohen Collection (Blue Underground), Angel Heart Special Edition (Lions Gate), Eyes Without a Face (Criterion Collection), Secret Honor (Criterion Collection), Elvis - Aloha from Hawaii Deluxe Edition (BMG), I Remember Mama (Warner), The More the Merrier (Columbia Tri-Star), Hardcore (Columbia Tri-Star), Zorba the Greek (Twentieth Century Fox), Mark of the Devil (Blue Underground), The Day After (TV, MGM), Summer School (Paramount), Slaughterhouse-Five (Universal), The Creeping Flesh (Columbia Tri-Star), Coogan's Bluff (Universal), Breezy (Universal), Underworld 2-Disc Unrated Extended Cut (Columbia Tri-Star), The Five Obstructions (Koch Lorber), Ragtime (Paramount), Foul Play (Paramount), Eating Raoul (Columbia Tri-Star), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (Columbia Tri-Star), Fahrenheit 9/11 (Columbia Tri-Star), Damn Yankees (Warner), Missing (82, Universal), Judgment at Nuremberg (MGM), Henry VIII (Warner), Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (Miramax), Intermission (MGM), Man on Fire (Twentieth Century Fox), The Hepburn & Tracy Signature Collection - Woman of the Year/Pat and Mike/Adam's Rib/The Spencer Tracy Legacy (Warner)...

Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's long over-due to DVD, Suspicion (41)

Monday, November 29, 2004

James Caan, you're better than this crap

I really wanted to like this movie. Especially since Ron Howard's unsatisfying How the Grinch Stole Christmas (00), there has not been a contemporary Holiday film that has the power to appeal to adults as equally as snot-nosed kids. Most kids today are pretty quick, and they get most of the "big people" jokes (just watch any Pixar film - they know how to write these things for everybody) but why has Hollywood just seemed to drop the ball on Holiday entertainment? It's either too sanitized or it stars Tim Allen and that's where I get off the bus. The Santa Clause (94) and it's obligatory sequel (02) are not bad movies, but they're not good ones either. Bad Santa (03) - well, Bad Santa should have starred Bill Murray (as originally intended). So that left Elf (03). It had all the makings of a "classic" Holiday film - something to make the big kids, as well as the snot-nosed ones laugh till the cows came home - that is after-all the purpose of one of these things: to entertain. I only wanted to sit back, pop on the DVD and laugh my ass off for an hour or so (hell, even Jingle All the Way, 96, had me in stitches). I laughed once in the entire film and it was a joke that I had already seen on a TV clip from the film. So I already knew that one was coming. If there were any nods to other "classic" Holiday films (which apparently there were) I must have missed them since the film itself was so unsure of what it wanted to be when it grew up: a comedy, a family film, a Holiday movie or all of the above. What was the problem then? Why was it simply not that funny? Well, the truth is, it was a bad script. Director (and actor) Jon Favreau just didn't have that much to work with. Writer David Berenbaum is the real culprit here. He also wrote The (miserable) Haunted Mansion (03) with Eddie Murphy. I'll tell you what, I've laughed more at certain Adam Sandler movies (that I will not name to protect the innocent) than I did with Elf, and I enjoyed them more too. My viewing partner (who's not nearly as hard on these things I am) didn't laugh much either. Strike that, reverse it - she laughed at the same scene I did (it takes place at a dinner table, and since I'm not recommending this movie to anyone, I'll tell you: Will Ferrell's character Buddy, drinks an entire 2 liter bottle of Coke, nice product placement there guys, in one gulp and then lets out one of the loudest and longest burps ever captured on film, with the exception of Curtis "Dudley 'Booger' Dawson" Armstrong in Revenge of the Nerds (84). But the funny thing was, immediately following the burp, he looks over at his young half-brother and says enthusiastically, "did you here that?"). Low brow humor at it's best.

I am a fan of low-brow, I actually consider it an art form (Rodney Dangerfield was the Salvador Dali of low-brow comedy), but there was not enough of it to sustain the pace of the film and it ended up being trite, maudlin and eventually just plain insincere. Who writes shit like this? Oh, I forgot: David Berenbaum, that's who. James Caan (see the title of this post), Bob Newhart, Edward Asner, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel (her wonderful singing in the film even gets over-played until it's annoying), Michael Lerner, Andy Richter and Kyle Gass were all criminally wasted. Even Farrell (whom I like) couldn't elevate this tired and re-hashed Holiday genre material. It's amazing to think that Jim Carrey was the original star attached to this same project back in the early 90s (I couldn't see anyone else but Farrell in the role - if he did anything, he made it his own). The real stars of the film however are: Faizon Love and Peter Dinklage. Love, a veteren character actor from such films as Fear of a Black Hat (94), Friday (95), The Replacements (00) and The Fighting Temptations (03) was the most refreshing and honest thing this film had to offer (what little screen time he got, playing against type as a slightly paranoid department store manager). He has worked with Favreau before so their director/actor chemistry makes sense. Dinklage was tremendous in the best cameo in the film. This guy deserves an Oscar for something, maybe just for his body of work: Living in Oblivion (95), Human Nature (01) and especially The Station Agent (03) are all better films because of his presence in them. You can see the joke coming a mile away as soon as he steps on camera, the film is called "Elf," Dinklage is a (human) small person and not an elf -insert joke here- but regardles, he really made the most impact on me and if it hadn't been for him, I'd say the film was a complete waste. But, I'm going to say it anyway: This film is a complete waste. Do not spend money on it. Wait for cable, or better yet, broad-cast TV. It wasn't very cute and it sure wasn't funny or entertaining. If you have kids, so be it (it's okay for them to watch anything that's even remotely cute and non-threatening isn't it?). It was stale, pointless and frankly, a little embarrassing for the fine people involved. There. I said it. Bah humbug.

Director Jon Favreau positions an "elf" for a scene in the dismal Holiday family film, Elf - he should have waited to do The Replacements, Part Deux

this is your brain on Kounen

Vincent Cassel (Mike Blueberry) is looking for love in all the wrong places
Jean Giraud, also known simply as "Moebius," is the man responsible for the story behind the film, Blueberry (also known as "Renegade", 04). Moebius, the French illustrator, first came to prominence in the early eighties, when his highly detailed fine-line style of graphic landscape art first appeared in the periodical, Heavy Metal (which was itself an American version of a French publication called, Metal Hurlant - or Screaming Metal). Moebius illustrated a comic series called, Blueberry (1990's), which was about a character in the old west called, "Mike" Blueberry. This is the loose foundation for the film starring French actor Vincent Cassel as U.S. Marshall Mike S. Blueberry. He plays a man haunted by an incident in his past that involves another man, known in his memory simply as "Wally." Fate will bring these two together again, but under different circumstances. If you stay with this film, there are character revellations (especially for Blueberry) that may indeed haunt you for a long time. Blueberry's confrontation with "death," as he tells us at the beginning, is only the tip of the "trippy" iceberg that is this artful yet confusing walk on the wild side of the American Western.

Monica Belucci and Vincent Cassel (partners together in real life) from Kounen's subversive Dobermann
The film was directed by Jan Kounen (who plays a small yet memorable role in the film as well) and features the likes of: Juliette Lewis, Michael Madsen, Temuera Morrison, Ernest Borgnine, Djimon Hounsou, Eddie Izzard, Geoffrey Lewis, Hugh O'Conor and Tchéky Karyo. What a cast! The film, to put it mildly, is fucking wierd. To begin with, the cinematography is mind-numbing (in a good way). Tetsuo Nagata, a virtual nobody, should have recieved an Academy Award nomination for his camera work on this film. There are some composite shots and lighting tricks that I have never seen used before. The music by Jean-Jacques Hertz and François Roy was also superb. And while we're on the subject of Academy Awards, Bénédicte Brunet deserved an Oscar for her editing as well. She worked with Kounen (himself a virtual unknown) on his previous film, the cult-crime epic Dobermann (97), which also starred Vincent Cassel (and Tchéky Karyo). It was probably on this film where Kounen remembered having a conversation with his lead actor (and friend) about "shamanism" which led to him being cast as the cajun Blueberry, who was adopted by Native American sorcerers. Willem Dafoe, Val Kilmer and Benicio Del Toro were all up for the role that went to Cassel. Cassel is marvelous in the part. His accent is a little murky (the film is mostly shot in English), but he looks and feels the character. Madsen is also excellent as his rival and adversary, Wallace Sebastian Blount (animal-lover but people-hater). I can't remember liking him so much in a film (maybe since Kill Bill Vol. 2) even though he plays the main baddie. They make an excellent pair of authentic old-west characters and it was a delight to watch some of their few but memorable scenes together.

Madsen as "Wally" Blount (with stunt horse) in Blueberry (U.S. title: Renegade)
Without giving away too much of the plot - the story concerns a quest for an ancient mystical place, that may contain gold, or something far more valuable. Blueberry knows what's there, and so does Blount - who will go to any lengths to possess what awaits him. Along the way, we are introduced to an amazing array of wackos and heavies who look like they've literally stepped from one of the pages of a Moebius story. There is an extraordinary amount of special effects in this film, since most of the actual story concerns a neither world of serpents, winged messengers, black magic and sun gods. The end of the film concerns a quest into the two main character's own souls that must be seen to be believed. Stanley Kubrick would have been envious. The production values are great in this little-seen gem, but unfortunately, there just isn't enough practicality in the story to hold one's attention for the entire length.

Scene from Jodorowsky's famous El Topo
It's a little like that other cult-western, Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo (70), except not as good. It certainly deserves to be seen however, and if you're a Western fan (as I am) you will be surprised by the amount of influences from other film genres that Kounen has managed to throw into his film. The phrase, "everything but the kitchen sink" comes to mind in fact, and in the case of Blueberry/Renegade, that's not such an insult. As if the plot of Kounen's film doesn't sound wierd enough, his next project is also about the practice and effects of shamanism, or more to the point: hallucinogens. It is a documentary called, Other Worlds (04) and features the director himself (as well as Jean "Moebius" Giraud) as he travels along the Amazon unraveling the myths of shamanism. He documents a tribe with century-long experiences of sacred plants and a "parallel universe" reached through the use of said herbs. This guy may have watched Altered States (80) one too many times in his life. In any case, in the immortal words of Dark Helmet (Mel Brooks' Spaceballs, 87): "smoke if ya got 'em..."

Sunday, November 28, 2004

Classic Tracy

John J. Macreedy: "You know, I know what your trouble is, son. You'd like me to die quickly, wouldn't you, without wasting too much of your time; or quietly, so I won't embarrass you too much; or even thankfully, so your memory of the occasion won't be too unpleasant."
- Spencer Tracy (John J. Macreedy) in, Bad Day at Black Rock (55) directed by John Sturges

I never cared much for most Spencer Tracy (1900 - 1967) films until I was in my mid-twenties. I don't know what happened to spark the interest exactly, but once it happened - it spread like wild-fire. I had to see everything he was in. I think I mainly got into him while going through one of my many Humphrey Bogart phases (they both made their first major film appearances in John Ford's Up the River and remained close friends forever). While just about everyone knows of Tracy's famous association with Katharine Hepburn (on and off screen they were devoted to each other as partners even though he remained married to another woman, Louise Treadwell) I found it fascinating to learn that Bogart was actually the "father" of the famous Rat Pack, and pal Tracy was their "unofficial" member (like Bogart and most of The Rat Pack, he was a raging alcoholic for most of his life). While I do not consider myself a 'Tracy Expert' (by no stretch of the imagination) I am incredibly interested in him as an actor. Most of his films, with the exception of some of his earlier and more impressive performances (including Black Rock - which is one of my all-time favorite films, see the related post on this blog) are on DVD, while the rest just seem to wait in limbo. He was the first actor to win consecutive Oscars for Best Actor (a record that would not be broken until Tom Hanks in 1993/94). No other actor (maybe with the contemporary exception of Nicolas Cage) has been able to play all types of major film roles (action, comedy, drama) with such ease as Tracy. His patience on camera made him one of the Cinema's most "natural" actors. He has gone on to inspire countless actors, and his influence can be seen in the likes of Steve McQueen, Tom Hanks, Russell Crowe and Steve Martin just to name a few. So, without further ado, here are my top picks for Classic Tracy films and performances (in no particular order of preference)...

Up the River Saint Louis (30)